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Wednesday, July 13, 2016

Pictorial Recap Of My Trip To Montana

"Hey Clara, got any plans for the 4th of July weekend?"

"Yeah, I'm taking a trip to Montana!"

"Weren't you just there?"

"No, that was Kansas. It is a different place."

"Oh."

Yes, Montana. Where all my pictures end up looking like default desktop backgrounds. When I wasn't snapping perfect scenery shots I was filling up my camera with amazing mannequins at the local history museum in Glasgow.

But there were things at the museum other than mannequins. I found these drawings in the bathroom and have so many questions:

"Pictures drawn by Judge Jim Shea. He often 'doodled' while sitting on the bench"

Um ok, sure. But like, what year are we talking here? These ladies are in circa 1900 clothing and hats. Was he doodling around the turn of the century? So, like, he was just drawing pictures of attractive ladies in the courtroom (or attractive ladies in his mind???) while he was supposed to be listening to a case? Or alternately, he was doodling some decades later and was just thinking about women in old-timey clothes? Which, I mean, women in old-timey clothes takes up a lot of my brain space too but somehow this seems less ok? Or great? Like maybe he was a judge who actually really wanted to be a hat designer? I really need some answers Judge Shea.

Next up was a day at the family farm. The reason for this visit was that the farming community where my mom grew up was celebrating its centennial. My great-grandparents homesteaded in 1916 and my uncle still farms and lives on the site of the original homestead.

(I think the bouncy castle is new)

To provide an authentic historic farm experience (and to keep 100+ family members from traipsing through my aunt and uncle's house) we had these delightful farm bathrooms for the day:

At one point we loaded onto a school bus for a tour of various historic homestead sites, which basically meant we were off-roading in a vehicle that most definitely wasn't built for the purpose. Our reward though was fresh peas straight from the field.

(possibly the only vegetables I ate all weekend)

And more opportunities for beautiful photos:

After farm day was the official centennial celebration at the high school. It rained the night before so the parking lot was full of cars that looked like this:

For lunch we had food that looked like this:

Is coleslaw a vegetable?

One thing I learned this summer is that apparently styrofoam is still a thing. When you arrive in Kansas or Montana, they basically just hand you a styrofoam container and are like "Here hippie, throw this away."

My mom (second from left in the row of perfect hair flips) was a senior in high school when they celebrated the 50th. She gave a speech for that celebration and so they asked her back for the centennial.